Beer: Reviews & Ratings

For whatever reason, I find it funny that such a high-falootin' foreign barleywine is aged in JD barrels. (Nothing against JD, mind you...) This stuff pours a hazy, brackish amber topped by a finger of cream-white foam. The nose comprises wood, whiskey, ruby red grapefruit zest, and mild caramel. The taste holds notes of cocoa, bourbon, mild booze, and toasted caramel. Not to sound all that negative or anything. but it's your basic mild barleywine with a twinge of whiskey barrel. The body is a light medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a sorta/kinda dry-ish finish. Overall, like I said before, this is just your normal, better-than-average barleywine that just happens to have been put in a JD barrel. It's not bad, by any stretch, but it's nothing special. Just a generally good time. (867 characters)

Great to find a rarely-seen beer like this on tap locally (Sessions). The thing poured from the tap and looked like a beer that had been cellared for 15+ years. Absolutely zero head. The color is a burnt orange/rust sort of thing.

Smells strongly of Jack Daniel's, although it doesn't entirely overwhelm. Hints of vanilla and real apple cider mingle with oak, smoke and alcohol.

Taste is pretty much same as the aroma hints, although I get an even bigger apple cider vibe, and this mingles nicely with the oaky, vanilla-kissed tones of Jack Daniel's, and I don't even like J.D. But as a twist on the barleywine style, a tasteful one that never forgets its basic style, its all works harmoniously.

Ultra-smooth, barely-carbonated, silky texture.

Not only is this an interesting, unique treat, it's made all the more interesting that a beer that tastes like THIS is made in the Netherlands, and not the U.S. or England. Wonders never cease... (947 characters)

A great find on tap at Sessions.Poured into a chalice a slight hazed burnt orange with no head to speak of,it looked flat but for me that was the only problem with this beer to speak of.Vanilla and charcoal tinged oak and deep fruity esters in the nose,even a bit of leather,nice complexity.Boozy with vanilla flavors at the onset but the fruit notes really started to play a role as I drank more,almost a bourbon soaked fruit cake-like flavor to it.Exremely low carbonation made it smooth and highly drinkable.The booze is there but for me I could have a few of these with ease,I liked this beer alot. (602 characters)

The Big Dooper brought out three Emelisse bottles for a lighter-than-average beer night many moons ago. Thanks for sharing man!

From a bottle into a mini snifterWhite Label Series60 IBUs

APPEARANCE: Pours a small, off-white head with lousy retention. A hazy copper orange with no carbonation evident. Head quickly fades to a bubbly ring only. A ring remains until the end and leaves some nice dots of lacing down the glass. Decent looking for the style.

SMELL: Medium strength nose with whisky, oak and vanilla up front. Some melon notes and floral hops in the back, but mostly about the barrel. Slightly too mild to be impressive as well.

TASTE: Relatively mild and watery in flavor, but what is there is alright. Caramel, toffee and nuts from the base beer mix well with the whisky, oak and vanilla from the barrel before a relatively boozy finish for the ABV. Aftertaste is medium strength with whisky, nuts and some faint floral hop bitterness as well. The flavors are nice and well balanced, but there just isn’t enough of them.

PALATE: Medium body and very low levels of carbonation. Silky smooth on the palate, goes down fine with a bit of a burn at the swallow and finishes relatively sticky. Some heat lingers on the palate. Good feel for the style.

OVERALL: This is an alright beer, but nothing more than that. The feel and look are pretty good, but for a barrel aged barleywine, I would expect a bigger, bolder and more assertive nose and flavor profile than what we have here. What is here is enjoyable, but there just isn’t enough of it. I would pass on this in the future. Thanks again for sharing Doops. (1,635 characters)

T - O Yes, it fully lives up to the 'smell promise'. This is heavy shit. The barley wine is strong already from the hops and than the Jack Daniels is setting in and on top comes the oak. They form a beautiful couple, much better than the original barley wine from Emelisse. This one is softer and much more complex.

M - A soft carbonation that goes excellent with the taste. There is some bitterness in the back but because of the BA it is not to strong. The body feels full and strong.